Manu collapsed to his knees, the platform beneath him shuddering from the force. His body bore the aftermath of his victory against the sin of Pride—his skin scarred with deep, intricate tattoos. The mark of Pride pulsed on his chest, its form woven seamlessly into the existing runes of the aura gods that had already claimed his flesh.
Blood dripped from his knees, staining the cracked platform as he knelt, struggling for breath. Each gasp was heavy, rough, like dragging air through shattered lungs. His golden eyes dimmed for a moment, but the faint flicker of a smirk played on his lips. The victory was his, and with it, his power surged.
He had ascended. The aura of a demi-god now radiated from him, raw and unrefined but undeniable. It wrapped around him like a cloak, trembling with the magnitude of its new birth.
